Oriental Theater – 7h30pm
2230 North Farwell Avenue / (414) 276-8711
The Witnesses
(Les Temoins, André Téchiné, France, in French with English subtitles, 35mm, 112 min., 2007)
Co-Sponsor: Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Chicago
Community Co-Sponsor: AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin
Campus Co-Sponsor: UWM Festival of Films in French
Community Co-Presenter: Milwaukee International Film Festival
A symphonic portrait of friends and sexual partners in a world in flux with the outbreak of AIDS. The time is 1984. Manu, an avid and attractive young man, arrives in Paris seeking sexual adventure. Thwarting the older man's desires, Manu nevertheless develops a platonic relationship with Adrien, a wealthy doctor, who introduces him to Sarah and Mehdi, a young married couple with a somewhat breezy and open relationship who have just had their first child. But an unplanned love affair at the onset of an unnamed epidemic upsets the tranquility of their lives, and the four friends confront the end of what they have known. The latest film from director André Téchiné ( Wild Reeds ), starring such French film luminaries as Emmanuelle Béart, Michel Blanc and Sami Bouajila, is a moving consideration of friendship and desire. And, by offering a rare contemporary filmic treatment of the eruption of AIDS, The Witnesses offers elegant testimony in its engagement with overlooked recent history.
JOIN US FOR A POST-SCREENING RECEPTION
Inova/Kenilworth
2155 N. Prospect Ave.
Exhibition on view: __fabrics interseason / Elisabeth Penker
Inova/Kenilworth
2155 N. Prospect Ave.
Exhibition on view: __fabrics interseason / Elisabeth Penker
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DocUquarium Series – every Wednesday September 5-December 5
“Dive deep” into the newest independent documentaries this fall as filmmaker/professor Brad Lichtenstein opens up his film 301 class to the public. Nine premieres, guests every month and deep exploration guaranteed. A few highlights include Banished, King Korn, Miss Navajo, and Revolution 67. Check the complete schedule at http://www4.uwm.edu/docuwm/ and the blog at http://docuquarium.groups.vox.com/
This Week’s DocUquarium:
UWM Union Theater
7h30pm *FREE*
Why We Fight (dir. Eugene Jarecki, 2005, EUA)
Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival
An unflinching look at the anatomy of the American war machine, weaving unforgettable personal stories with commentary by a “who’s who” of military and beltway insiders. Featuring John McCain, William Kristol, Chalmers Johnson, Gore Vidal, Richard Perle and others, “Why We Fight” launches a bipartisan inquiry into the workings of the military industrial complex and the rise of the American Empire.
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Basement Cinema
Mitchell Hall - Room B91
Basement Cinema is a student-run series of B and unusual commercial movies. The series is back and they are kicking off the fall 2007 season with two infamous schlockers from the godfather of gore - Herschell Gordon Lewis.
More information at http://basementcinema.wordpress.com
8pm – FREE
The Wizard of Gore (Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1970, 95 minutes)
Montag the Magnificent performs gruesome illusions on stage. Hours later, his willing volunteers end up dead. Sherry, a TV talk show host, is wowed by Montag and wants to have him perform on her show. Her sports reporter boyfriend, Jack, is none to supportive. He suspects Montag is behind the recent spat of murders. As for horror, it’s a real toss-up here between what’s more disturbing - the bloody act of Montag or the sexist attitudes of Jack.
The film’s tag line once read, “Scenes So Far Beyond Any You’ve Ever Seen That No Description Is Possible”. When really, you could sum it all up with one word - silly. More visual shock then lurking horror, The Wizard of Gore is soaked in blood and bad performances. Montag’s repeated monologues about reality take on a Zen like quality that will having you scratching your head.
10pm - FREE
Two Thousand Maniacs! (Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1964, 87 minutes)
It’s the centennial celebration of Pleasant Valley and a group of yankees are invited to be the town’s guests of honor. What these naive northerners don’t know is that 100 years ago Pleasant Valley was laid to waste by Union soldiers and now the town-folk want revenge. Through a series of specialized festivities each of the tourists meets a grizzly fate.
H.G. Lewis brings his usualy buckets of blood, but this time he adds some Dixie flare. A combination of Brigadoon and low-budget, horror film brilliance, this gory story of Southern un-hospitality is full of bizarre tortures. Lot’s of Rebel flags, toothless grins, and country music make the South one frighteningly farcical place.
